Foundation garment



Aug. 30, 1938,

H. WIPPERMAN FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed May 21, 1938 INVENTOR haiawxm fliflpffi/vaw ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE The H. W. Gossard 00., Chicago,

, ration of Illinois 111., a corpo- Application May 21, 1938, Serial No. 209,173

6 Claims.

This invention relates to foundation garments for women and has for its object to provide an improved light-weight garment of this type which is adapted to mold the figure and provide a smooth foundation for outer garments while enhancing the comfort and freedom" of movement of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment of the above type having a relatively high top, preferably extending well above the waistline, and having special means to prevent the top from curling or rolling down while at the same time insuring a permanently smooth hip line below the waist and eliminating any tendency to bulge, bind or cut the wearer in the region of the waist or elsewhere.

Garments constructed in accordance with my invention may be made of either one-way or twowaystretch elastic fabrics, or various combinations of suchfabrics, the preferred practice being to construct the garment ofconnected front, back and side sections which are so arranged and interrelated as to afford the proper control and support to the figure. For example, the garment which I-shall disclose herein for purposes of illustration is constructedof extremely lightweight elastic net capable'of extending both horizontally and vertically, and it has an inelastic front panel adapted to confine and flatten the diaphragm and abdomen, and a back panel which stretches only in a vertical direction and therefore adapts itself to forward and backward bending movements of the body, but various other combinations offabrics may be employed if and when desired.

In all garments of this type thereis a tendency for the elastic material to curl or 'roll down at the top, and this is not only uncomfortable to the wearer but is also objectionable because it creates a bulge or ridge which destroys thesmoothness 4 and symmetry of the figure. Attempts have been made to minimize this curling or. rolling action by inserting short bones at spaced intervals at the upper edge of a garment, giving the effect 4 of a narrow "collar" which stiifens the edge, but

they tend to cut or dig into the body where'the collar is seamed through the garment at'the embodying the'invention.

devices of this type are objectionable becauseprior art by providing the elastic sections of the garment, especially in the region of the hips, with an upper reinforcement which is adapted to stretch circumferentially of the garment and is joined to the body portion in such a way that there is no break or tight line in the garment at the normal waistline, so that the material cannot cut the wearer or form unsightly ridges in this region; and this reinforcing elastic is provided with spaced vertical bones which extend down into the body 10 portion of the garment, thus affording a firm anchorage for the bones which not only prevents the top from rolling or folding back but also molds the body and contributes to the maintenance of a smooth hip line and therefore preserves the gen- 1 eral symmetry of the figure.

These and other features andadvantages of theinventlon will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in. which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a model wearing a girdle type foundation garment embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear side view of the garment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale, showing the reinforcing support in the hip region as viewed from the exterior of the garment;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same reinforcing support as viewed from the interior of the garment; v v Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; v.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a reinforcing panel ascut before being inserted in the garment; and

Fig. 7 is a front view of a combination garment The garment shown in- Figs. land 2 is of the I girdle type having a very high top which extends almost to the bhstline of the figure, the front panel 40 I being of soft inelastic material provided with suitable light bones or busks 2 which support the top and also assist in flattening the diaphragm and abdomen of the wearer. The body portion of the garment includes side elastic sections 3 of light weight, sheer elastic net which is capable of extending both horizontally and vertically, these sections meeting at the front of the garment beneath the inelastic panel I. The side sections 3 are joined at the rear to a back panel 4 composed of elastic material which is adapted to stretch only in a vertical direction as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Suitable fastening'means, suchasa slide fastener 5,

may be provided at the front for use in putting the garment on and off.

The elastic side sections 3 of the garment have their upper edges 6 terminating below the top of the garment, that is, below the top edges of front panel I and back panel 4, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In these portions of the garment, which are adapted to cover the region of the hips, I insert panels 8 having extensions 9, which are made of light one-way stretch elastic fabric adapted to stretch horizontally or circumferentially of the body as indicated in Fig. 6. The panels 8 with their integral extensions 9 may be cut in the pattern shown in Fig. 6. The panel 8 is then seamed to the top of the side section 3 at the line I0, after which the extension 9 is folded inwardly along the line 12, which thereupon becomes the top edge of the hip portion of the garment, and the bottom edge of ex- .tension 9 is seamed to the side section 3 at the line I I3 as indicated in Figs. 1 to 5, the side edgesof panel B and extension 9 being seamed to the adjacent edges of front panel I and back panel d as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4.

A plurality of light, flexible vertical bones l4 are stitched to the inside of panel extensions 9, these bones extending from the top edges I! of these hip sections to points below the upper edges 6 of side panels 3 as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. In this way the bones it have their lower portions anchored in the body'of the fabric 3, which not only prevents the top edges 9 of these hip sections from curling or rolling over, but also prevents said hip sections from bending over as a unit as they might do if the bones M were very short and confined to the upper edges I2 of the hip sections. I

When the garment is worn, the elastic side sections 3, which are capable of extending horizontally as well as vertically, and the hip sections or inserts formed by panels 8 and their extensions 9, which stretch only in a circumferential direction, i exert a circumferential tension upon front panel i and back panel 4 which provides the necessary control and flattening effect at the front and back and forms a smooth foundation for outer garments. In particular, the smoothness through the waistline and on the round bulges of the hips is enhanced by the extensions 9 of the hip sections which run down inside the side sections 3 and eliminate any breakor tight line at the juncture of edges 6 and ill at the normal waistline of the wearer. The bones l4 stiffen the hip panels and prevent them from bending or rolling over and cooperate with the smooth inner extensions 9 to preserve the continuity and localize the control in the region of the hips where it has not heretofore been supplied.

The invention as described above may also be applied to a combination garment such as that shown in Fig. 7. This combination garment has a brassiere ii of soft inelastic material secured to the upper edge of an inelastic front panel IB and to the horizontally stretchable hip sections 8 which are constructed in the manner previously described. The front panel It extends from the bust line to the lower edge of the garment where it is provided with a central elastic gore H. In other respects the garment is similar in structure and function to that previously described, and similar reference characters are thereforeused to indicate the corresponding parts of the garment.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the foregoing details of construction without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is: I

1. A foundation garment for women having a body portion composed at least in part of elastic fabric capable of stretching in a horizontal direction to tension the garment on the body, a portion of said elastic fabric terminating below the top of the garment, a horizontally stretchable elastic insert seamed tothe upper edge of said fabric which terminates below the top of the garment and folded inwardly and seamed to said elastic body portion below the. line of joinder with said insert to form a smooth continuous lining, and means for stiffening said insert from its upper edge to a point below its line of joinder with the top of said body portion.

2. A foundation garment for women having a body portion composed at least inpart of elastic fabric capable of stretching in a ,horizontaldirection to tension the garment on the body, portions of said elastic fabric in the region of the hips terminating below the top of the garment, horizontally stretchable elastic inserts seamed to the upper edges of said hip portions and folded inwardly and seamed to said elastic body portion below the lines of joinder with said inserts to form a smooth continuous lining over the hips, and means for'stiffening said inserts from their upper edges to a point below the top of said elastic body portion.

rection to tension the garment on the body, portions or said elastic fabric in the region of the hips terminating below the top of the garment, horizontally stretchable elastic inserts seamed to the top edges of said hip portions and folded inwardly and seamed to'said elastic body portions below the lines of joinder with said inserts to form a smooth continuous lining over the hips, and stiffening busks extending downwardly from the upper edges of said inserts to points below the top of said elastic body portion to prevent said inserts from rolling or folding over.

4. A foundation garment for women adapted to encircle the body andcomprising a front panel, a back panel, elastic side sections terminating below the top of said front and back panels and being capable of stretching at least in a horizontal direction, upper reinforcing panels composed of horizontally stretchable elastic fabric seamed to the upper edges of said side sections and folded inwardly in line with the top of the garment and seamed to the interior of said side sections below their upper edges, and means for stiffening said reinforcing panels from their upper edges to apoint below the top of said side sections.

5. A foundation garment for women adapted -to encircle the body and comprising an inelastic front panel, an elastic back panel capable of stretching only in a vertical direction, elastic side sections terminating below the top of said front and back panels and being capable of stretching at least in a. horizontal direction,-up per reinforcing panels composed of horizontally stretchable fabric seamed to the upper edges of said side sections and to the adjacent vertical edges of said frontand back panels and folded inwardly in: line with the top of the garment and seamed to the interior of ,said side sections below their. upper edges, and stiffening busks extending downwardly from the upper edges of said reinforcing panels to points below the upper edges of said side sections to prevent said reinforcing panels from rolling or folding over.

6. A foundation garment forwomen adapted tb encircle the body and comprising an inelastic front panel having a high top extending substantiallyto the bust line, an elastic back panel eapable of stretchihg only in a vertical direction,

elastic side sections terminating below.the top of said front and back panels and being capable of extending vertically and horizontally of the garment, upper reinforcing panels composed of horizontally extensible fabric seamed to the upper edges of said side sections and to the adjacent said reinforcing panels from rolling or folding 10 over.

HILDEGARD WIPPERMAN. 

